The invention relates to a drive frame for a drive assembly or station of mining apparatus including a conveyor and a coal-winning machine such as a plough.
For the removal of material in underground mining operations, it is well known (see DT-OS No. 2,208,657, DT-Gbm No. 1,923,926 and DT-Gbm No. 1,880,713) to use a scraper chain conveyor which has, at each end thereof, a drive frame for locating a chain drum which is used to drive the chain or chains of the conveyor. At least one of the drive frames provides support for the drive units of the conveyor and of the coal-winning machine, these units being mounted to a side plate of the drive frame by means of flanges. Where the coal-winning machine is a plough, the plough drive unit is attached to a chain sprocket case which contains a chain sprocket which transmits the drive to the plough by means of a chain. In this case, the chain sprocket case is attached to the drive frame. With a view to transmitting the tensile forces of the plough chain to the drive frame, the known type of chain sprocket case is provided with special spigots which extend into bores in the side plate of the drive frame. In the so-called F-arrangement the conveyor drive unit and the plough drive unit are arranged side-by-side on the goaf side of the drive frame.
It is the aim of the invention to provide an improved drive frame for the drive assembly of a mining apparatus including a conveyor and a coal-winning machine, the drive frame being constructed in such a way that, with optimum transmission of the forces to the drive frame, the drive units of the conveyor and the coal-winning machine can be mounted closely side-by-side.